Talks between the Knicks and Nuggets on a potential Iman Shumpert/Kenneth Faried swap “were never alive,” a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post, who terms the conversations New York is having with other teams about Shumpert as merely preliminary. The Nuggets would have wanted a first-round pick from the Knicks, but the earliest first-rounder New York can convey is for 2018, Berman notes. Here’s more on Shumpert, the Knicks and their Atlantic Division rivals:
The Knicks‘ ample depth at shooting guard and the team’s concern over how Shumpert would react to being benched are among the reasons the Knicks appear willing to trade the 23-year-old, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com details.
A family matter has forced former Celtics swingman Terrence Williams to leave Turk Telekom Ankara after he played just two games with the Turkish team, agent Obrad Fimic tweets (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
Jason Terry says the Nets are in “desperation” mode after a loss to the Kings last night dropped them to 2-5, observes Sam Amick of USA Today.
The Spurs regarded James Anderson as a scorer when they drafted him 24th overall in 2010, former San Antonio assistant and current Sixers head coach Brett Brown says. Anderson’s career-high 36 points last night highlight why Brown thinks the Sixers picked up Anderson at the just the right time in the swingman’s career, as Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News examines.
November 13th, 2013 at 10:25pm CST by Charlie Adams
The West has been the stronger of the two conferences so far in the early going of the 2013/14 NBA season. There are nine teams above the .500 mark in the West compared to only three squads with winning records in the East. A conference chock full of winning teams is a recipe for intense and entertaining competition. Here are some notes regarding the West:
Despite the injury to point guard Toney Douglas, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group hears from team sources that the Warriors are not expected to make a move to bolster their backcourt. Thompson reports that Kent Bazemore and Nemanja Nedovic will be given a chance to come off the bench and run the team’s offense in Douglas’ absence.
There’s still no timetable for Kobe Bryant‘s return, tweets Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The Lakers are paying Bryant over $30MM this season, a total almost $8MM greater than the next highest player on the list.
The Knicks‘ decision to let Jeremy Lin walk away from the team after the 2011/12 season was a surprise to many, including Rockets GM Daryl Morey: “We didn’t really understand it, and we thought for sure that Lin was going to stay. I thought if any team knew what it had, it was going to be New York.” Harvey Araton of the New York Times breaks down New York’s choice not to match the Rockets’ offer sheet.
Kenneth Faried declined to comment on the rumors implicating him as a possible early season trade candidate: “No comment on all of that. I just play basketball and do my job, and that’s it.” Faried had been linked to a potential trade with the Knicks‘ Iman Shumpert, but the Nuggets wanted more in return than New York had to offer. Read Christopher Dempsey’s full article about Faried at the Denver Post.
Earlier tonight, Utah Jazz beat writer Jody Genessy revealed (via Twitter) that Diante Garrett was shopping at WalMart when he received the call offering him a spot on the Jazz. Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune provides further insight on Utah’s acquisition of the young guard and what it means for the team.
November 13th, 2013 at 7:31pm CST by Charlie Adams
All day long, media outlets have been reporting that Knicks guard Iman Shumpertmight be traded in an attempt to aid the team’s ailing frontcourt. Despite the flux of rumors, Lang Greene over at HoopsWorld reports Shumpert isn’t fazed by seeing his name involved in trade talks: “If it’s going to happen, it will happen. I’m young. I’m an asset. So I’ll be in the [trade] rumors, I guess.” Although a move to Denver has been reportedly ruled out, several teams are still thought to be interested in the third year Georgia Tech product.
Here are some more interesting notes from around the NBA:
We found out earlier today that the Nuggets weren’t keen on sending Kenneth Faried over to New York, but Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that there is league-wide interest in the young forward. However, Wojnarowski also notes that despite the interest, the Nuggets don’t appear likely to dish Faried unless he’s involved in some sort of blockbuster deal.
The Suns and 76ers are off to better-than-expected starts, but Mark Deeks from SB Nation does’t believe that either team should exit rebuilding mode in an attempt to make a playoff run.
Three projected lottery picks took the court in Chicago last night for the Champions Classic. Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Julius Randle showed off their skills to a packed arena that included 68 NBA scouts. Alex Kennedy from HoopsWorld breaks down how each of the young phenoms performed under the spotlight.
5:16pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter) that there are no active talks involving a Faried/Shumpert swap. The Knicks reportedly proposed the idea to the Nuggets, but Denver rejected the offer. However, judging by Stein and Begley’s earlier report that several teams have expressed interest in Shumpert, it’s still possible that the young Knicks guard ends up playing for a new team.
2:02pm:ESPN.com’s Marc Stein and Ian Begley have followed up on Isola’s report, writing that while the Knicks and Nuggets continue to talk, several teams have inquired on Shumpert and New York remains undecided on whether or not to move him.
According to Stein and Begley, the Nuggets are believed to be seeking draft compensation in any Faried/Shumpert swap, which may be too high a price for the Knicks to pay.
12:42pm: On the heels of news that Tyson Chandler would be sidelined for several weeks, Knicks coach Mike Woodsonsaid last week that the team would stand pat for now rather than adding a big man. However, it sounds as if New York is open to the possibility of making a major move to bolster its frontcourt. According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, the Knicks and Nuggets are discussing a potential trade involving Iman Shumpert and Kenneth Faried, and talks have “intensified” in recent days.
While there haven’t been any definitive signals that the Nuggets’ new decision-making group is down on Faried, there have been some curious hints over the last several weeks. Grantland’s Zach Lowe reported last month that Denver was gauging teams’ interest in Faried, and predicted a deal would happen. Additionally, after starting all 80 games he played a year ago, Faried has started just four of the Nuggets’ first six contests, and his minutes are down to 23.7 per game (from 28.1).
As for Shumpert, he has never quite fit in New York as well as expected, though there still seemed to be hope coming into the season that he’d develop into a long-term core piece. For now, it seems more likely that he represents the club’s most valuable trade asset. According to Isola, Shumpert has fallen out of favor with Woodson and owner James Dolan.
The match would make some sense for both sides, considering the Nuggets lost defensive wings Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer in the offseason and are still without the injured Danilo Gallinari. The Knicks’ frontcourt, meanwhile, is aging and hasn’t been very productive in the early going, particularly since losing Chandler. Still, it’s fair to wonder if both sides may be souring on a young player too soon. Both Shumpert and Faried are just 23 years old and are on rookie contracts through 2015.
Of course, it doesn’t look like anything is imminent at this point, as Isola notes. So even if the Knicks and Nuggets are exploring their options, we shouldn’t assume they’ve made any decisions yet. Both teams won 50+ games in 2012/13 and are off to slow starts this season, but it’s probably still a little early to take any drastic measures.
Six Eastern Conference teams have 2-3 records, and all of them had playoff aspirations coming into the season. The Bulls, Nets and Knicks had even loftier expectations, but they’re among the clubs that find themselves below .500 five games into the season. It might not seem like it’s time for a drastic move yet, but tell that to Mike Brown, whom the Lakers fired five games into last season. Our look across the East has the latest on a team that could make a change soon:
An Eastern Conference executive tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that Iman Shumpert‘s trade value around the league is high, and that the Knicks aren’t nearly as sold on the third-year swingman as the rest of the league is. Isola wonders if the return of J.R. Smith from suspension and the Knicks’ belief in rookie Tim Hardaway Jr.will prompt the team to trade Shumpert, speculating that a swap with the Nuggets for Kenneth Faried might be the best fit. A deal with the Celtics for Rajon Rondo would meet with Mike Woodson‘s approval, but no such trade is likely, Isola writes.
More NBA teams appear to be putting stock in analytics, but the successful Heat and Pacers aren’t among them, as a coach points out to Isola for the same piece.
The Knicks have officially exercised their 2014/15 option on Iman Shumpert, the club announced today (Twitter link). The move ensures that Shumpert will remain under team control, with a fully guaranteed salary, for the next two seasons.
Shumpert, a member of the 2011 draft class, will earn about $1.7MM this season, and then be in line for about $2.62MM in ’14/15. If the Knicks want to keep him in the fold long-term, the team could lock him up to an extension during the 2014 offseason. Otherwise, he’ll hit restricted free agency in the summer of 2015.
Shumpert’s fourth-year option was the only rookie contract decision due for the Knicks this week, but plenty of other teams will have until Halloween to decide on their own rookie scale players. You can follow our tracker for the latest updates.
The biggest NBA headline yesterday involved Carmelo Anthony, who told the New York Observer that he was looking forward to testing free agency, strongly implying that he’d turn down his player option for 2014/15 and hit the open market next summer. Anthony spoke to the media today about those comments, so let’s round up today’s highlights related to Carmelo and the rest of the Knicks…
While Anthony acknowledged that there’s a good chance he opts out next summer, he told reporters, including Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, that it doesn’t mean he plans to leave New York. “Me leaving never came across in my mind,” Anthony said. “[Free agency] was just an experience that I thought would be an experience I’d want to experience.”
Asked about Carmelo’s situation, coach Mike Woodson replied, “I don’t see him leaving. That’s just my thought,” according to Begley.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reads into Carmelo’s response to a question about the Lakers, predicting that L.A. will be the Knicks’ primary competitor for the star forward’s services next summer.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Amir Elhassan provides an FAQ for Anthony’s upcoming free agency, in which he speculates that the Mavericks, Pistons, and Bobcats could also try to make a run at Carmelo.
Exploring a subject that doesn’t involve Anthony, Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal wonders why the Knicks’ front office seems somewhat lukewarm on Iman Shumpert. The third-year guard will be eligible for a long-term extension next offseason.
Mark Stein of ESPN.com reports, via Twitter, that according to the "eyes of a spy I trust," Derrick Rose looks even better now than he did in the past.
Here are a few Eastern notes as fans eagerly await the return of Rose when the Bulls and Pacers tip off at 7 p.m. EST tonight in the first preseason game for each team.
Bonnell also talked to Bobcats assistant coach Patrick Ewing after practice today at UNC-Asheville. Ewing doesn't want to be categorized as merely a big man coach, but that hasn't stopped Charlotte's big free agent acquisition, Al Jefferson, from soaking up his knowledge.
Despite the addition of Chauncey Billups in free agency this summer and the continued presence of Rodney Stuckey, Pistons rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is making his case for the starting job at the off-guard position, writes MLive.com's David Mayo.
Entering his third year in the NBA, Knicks Journal's Keith Schlosser asks whether Iman Shumpert is under the most pressure to improve his production this coming season if the Knicks are to have a real shot in the improved Eastern Conference.
There have been some instances in which talented tandems that played together early on eventually blossomed into stars on different teams. A few pairs that come to mind include Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter in Toronto, Jerry Stackhouse and Allen Iverson in Philadelphia, and Jermaine O'Neal and Rasheed Wallace in Portland. However, not many of them get another chance to reunite and try to capture some of what could have been. Brooklyn's Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce shared their thoughts about the opportunity to finally achieve success together after looking back at a 2001/02 mid-season trade that saw Johnson – then a Celtics rookie – get traded from Boston and subsequently develop into a star in Phoenix and Atlanta (Tim Bontemps of the New York Post). With that aside, here are a few links to pass along out of the Atlantic Division tonight:
ESPN New York's Ian Begley reports that Knicks assistant GM Allan Houston was in attendance to witness tryouts for the team's D-League affiliate, the Erie Bayhawks. Among those who made strong impressions were swingman Dami Sapara, center Kyle Hunt, forward Akeem Ellis, as well as big men Brian Addison and Desmond Blue.
Begley also mentions that Knicks guard Iman Shumpert sat out of today's practice with what was called a "minor" right shoulder injury, although Marc Berman of the New York Post suggests that this could possibly open the door for J.R. Smith to earn the starting shooting guard spot.
As Eric Koreen of the National Post notes, the competition for reserve minutes at the wing positions on the Raptors is wide open. Later in the article, Koreen also takes a brief look at rookie Dwight Buycks. In another team-related piece, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun takes notice of the more competitive vibe felt at this year's camp compared to last year.
The Atlantic Division saw plenty of player movement during this offseason, with teams either adding significant rotation players or dealing them away to create bigger roles for their younger ones. Let's take a look at a few players who could continue to elevate their standing next season:
After sitting out the 2011/12 season to recover from open heart surgery, Jeff Green returned to the Celtics last year as a productive contributor and arguably the team's most important reserve, appearing in 81 games (17 starts) and averaging 12.8 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 27.8 MPG while shooting a career best 46.7% from the field and 38.5% from three. Over the final three months of the season, the former Georgetown Hoya put on a tremendous display of efficient shooting, posting scoring averages of 15.3/17.6/17.1 and never averaging less than 48.8% overall and 41.4% from long distance per month. Green could very well be relied on in a primary scoring role next season following the departures of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry – three of Boston's top five scorers last year.
One of the biggest question marks for the Knicks heading into last season was how Iman Shumpertwould fare after returning from an ACL injury suffered during the 2011/12 playoffs. After sitting out the first 37 games, the sophomore swingman returned in mid-January, averaging 6.8 PPG and 1.0 SPG in 22.1 MPG the rest of the way. While those numbers may not stand out very much, Shumpert proved to be an intriguing young player within a playoff atmosphere, going for 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting in a closeout win against the Celtics and 6-for-10 (with an uncanny 5-for-6 performance from long distance) in a comeback attempt that fell short against the Pacers in Game 6 of the Conference semi-finals. Although his shooting numbers appeared to have wildly fluctuated at times during last season (26.4% from the field/ 27.2% from three in February followed by 47.9% from the field/49.9% from three in March), Shumpert has also garnered recognition as a strong defensive player, and there is some belief that his development is strongly tied to how far the Knicks can go this year.
With last year's team leading scorer Jrue Holiday now donning a Pelicans uniform and Jason Richardsonstill rehabbing from knee surgery, Evan Turner will most likely stand as the 76ers' most experienced guard in their backcourt to start the season. The fourth-year player was actually given an enormous amount of minutes last year and put up some of the best numbers of his career thus far – 13.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, and 36.5% from long range in 35.6 MPG. A few things to keep an eye out for in terms of Turner's offensive development are how much he can increase his scoring average by, how well he can improve from last season's 41.8% overall shooting average, and if he can get to the free throw line at a higher rate.
Another name to keep an eye out for in Philadelphia is Thaddeus Young, who finished the year as the team's second-leading scorer. The 6'8 forward posted 14.8 PPG on an efficient 53.1% from the field along with 7.5 RPG in 34.6 MPG. While 57.4% from the charity stripe leaves a lot left to be desired – especially considering he shot 77.1% in 2011/12 – Young showed a tremendous amount of promise overall as a scorer in March, going for 16.7 PPG on a 58.0% clip.
A very intriguing name to follow north of the border is second-year center Jonas Valanciunas, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2013 Las Vegas Summer league. As a rookie, the 6'11 center delivered 8.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 1.3 BPG for the Raptors last season. In what could reasonably have been a preview of what to continue to expect, Valanciunas averaged 11.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.1 BPG, and 27.1 MPG in March, followed by 14.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.4 BPG, and 31.6 MPG in April. What's even more interesting are his field goal percentages and accuracy from the line over those final two months of the year (62.0%/82.0% and 55.8%/85.2% respectively). With that in mind, the 21-year-old big man figures to have the keys to the starting center position in Toronto.
Of the aforementioned players in the Atlantic Division, who stands to take their game to another level in 2013/14?